Elite Private School Employees Jumped Into Action Following Head-On Collision In Greenwich
GREENWICH, Conn. (CBSNewYork) -- Accident investigators are still working to figure out why two buses crashed head on Tuesday afternoon.
On Thursday, CBS2's Tony Aiello talked to good Samaritans from a prestigious private school, who rushed to render aid to the victims, many of them developmentally disabled adults.
There's a tradition at Brunswick School in Greenwich -- students are greeted with a handshake every morning.
The tradition was extended to the victims of Tuesday afternoon's bus crash on King Street in the form of helping hands from staff members.
"I was sitting at my desk and I heard an extremely loud bang," Brunswick School safety director Mike DeAngelo said.
DeAngelo was among the first at the scene as two buses from other nearby schools crashed into each other, right at the edge of the Brunswick campus.
One vehicle was carrying eight young adults with developmental disabilities.
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DeAngelo said he grabbed his radio, which connects directly to the Greenwich Police Department. It's actually faster than calling 911.
"I was able to give them information, timely, as to the seriousness of the accident, what we needed, ambulances, fire personnel," DeAngelo said.
Meanwhile, school nurse Emma Eschricht said she noticed the commotion.
"I thought I would come out and find a little Brunswick boy with a skinned knee," Eschricht said.
She said when she saw the damage and serious injuries she called for the bag of emergency supplies and started treating victims.
"We were dealing with a lot of abrasions, a lot of cuts, deep cuts, lot of bleeding, so we needed to apply pressure, pressure dressings, head injuries," she said.
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They were dealing with frightened special needs adults. The nurses asked their names, held their hands and eased their fears.
"There were some that just didn't know what was going on. They were just scared and confused, so we just comforted them and waited for EMS to arrive," Brunswick School nurse Ginny Martin said.
When asked what he learned about his Brunswick School colleagues on Tuesday afternoon, DeAngelo said, "I was extremely impressed how well they handled a true crisis situation."
At a trying time, they lived up to the school motto, "Courage."
The school staff members said Greenwich police officers and firefighters were on the scene quickly, and did their jobs with incredible professionalism. The eight passengers and both bus drivers are expected to recover from their injuries.
